Long May You Run

Today was the 35th running of the Pittsburgh Marathon. Ordinarily, I would be running the half this year—since I retired, I have tried to run it every other year with the goal of doing a full marathon before, em, whatever. And running in 2025 would have been “on schedule” and would have marked the fourth time for me.

If you have not run in a marathon, and could, you are missing something special. On race day, there are thousands of workers, fans, runners crammed at the start and finish line and the atmosphere is jubilant and celebratory.  And lots of bananas and water. I usually train with Fleet Feet and it’s a blast…meet lots of cool running types and you train in Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods: Carson St. in the Southside, Lawrenceville, Penn and Smallman streets in the Strip, Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield. And everybody that gets to the starting-line can already claim victory. And then there is the race itself and made-that-day running buddies, high fives from seven-year-olds and personal bests. So, I know I am missing something special, both in the journey and the destination.

But I got hurt in the last race and am still working myself back. Ever so slowly. But the key is that I am persisting and, while I am not ready for prime time, I am a lot closer to running the marathon than I was a year ago.

And isn’t that what it is about? Persistence? Hope? Getting back on your feet and moving forward again? Both in the marathon, in your business and in life. Did the see the Wall St. Journal article about James Dyson. It is a brilliant interview with a brilliant man who describes himself as having a “life of failure.” Dyson is a classic example of persistence, hope and skill in the business world.

So, I grab the Post Gazette from my driveway after walking Buddy and what is the headline? “Secret to Marathon Success: Resilience.” Could easily have been titled simply: the Secret to Success. BOOOM!

I am going to keep at it. And maybe in 2026, I can report a personal best; or having gotten to the starting mark, finishing and having a ball. Long May You Run.

Show A Little Faith